Envelope sheet and method of processing

Abstract

The present invention is an envelope sheet capable of being automatically printed and formed into a standard business envelope using a high-speed separate sheet printer in line with high-speed separate sheet folding and pressure sealing equipment. The present envelope sheet comprises a front panel connected to a back panel along a bottom fold line, to a closing flap along a top fold line, to a left-side flap along a left-side fold line and to a right-side flat along a right-side fold line. The front panel, back panel, closing flap and both side flaps each have an upper surface and a lower surface. The back panel is adhered to the left-side and right-side flaps with a latent adhesive sandwiched therebetween. The present invention also includes a method and apparatus for automatically printing and forming an envelope from the present envelope sheet, as well as automatically stuffing the envelope while it is being formed.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An envelope sheet for being automatically fed from a stack and printed by a laser printer and then automatically formed into an envelope having the appearance of a standard #10 envelope, said envelope sheet comprising: a front panel having a first upper surface and a first lower surface;   a back panel connected to said front panel along a bottom fold line and having a second upper surface, a second lower surface, a bottom edge, a first left-side edge, a first right-side edge, a first adhesive area on said second upper surface adjacent said first left-side edge, a second adhesive area on said second upper surface adjacent said first right-side edge, and a third adhesive area on said second lower surface adjacent said bottom edge, said front and back panel having dimensions corresponding to a standard #10 envelope;   a closing flap connected to said front panel along a top fold line and having a third upper surface, a third lower surface and a top edge, with a fourth adhesive area on said third upper surface adjacent said top edge;   a first left-side flap connected to said front panel along a first left-side fold line and having a fourth upper surface, a fourth lower surface and a fifth adhesive area on said fourth lower surface;   a first right-side flap connected to said front panel along a first right-side fold line and having a fifth upper surface, a fifth lower surface and a sixth adhesive area on said fifth lower surface;   a second left-side flap connected to said first left-side flap along a left-side bottom fold line and connected to said back panel along a second left-side fold line, said second left-side flap having a sixth upper surface and a sixth lower surface, a seventh adhesive area on said sixth lower surface and an eighth adhesive area on said sixth upper surface;   a second right-side flap connected to said first right-side flap along a right-side bottom fold line and connected to said back panel along a second right-side fold line, said second right-side flap having a seventh upper surface and a seventh lower surface, a ninth adhesive area on said seventh lower surface and a tenth adhesive area on said seventh upper surface; and   a pressure sensitive self-stick adhesive which is substantially non-adherent to a laser printer fuser roll and not prone to causing blocking, said adhesive being adhered in a pattern to said first, second, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth adhesive areas such that when a plurality of said envelope sheet are stacked, the stack has a sufficiently uniform height to allow sheets to be automatically fed therefrom, and such that when said envelope sheet is formed into an envelope, said first and eighth adhesive areas overlap and adhere said back panel and said second left-side flap, said second and tenth adhesive areas overlap and adhere said back panel and said second right-side flap, said fifth and seventh adhesive areas overlap and adhere said first and second left-side flaps, and said sixth and ninth adhesive areas overlap and adhere said first and second right-side flaps.   
     
     
       2. The envelope sheet of claim 1, said envelope sheet having substantially the same side-to-side width between opposite side edges along a substantial portion of its length for enabling said envelope sheet to be automatically fed through a high-speed separate sheet laser printer. 
     
     
       3. The envelope sheet of claim 1, said seventh and ninth adhesive areas being operatively disposed so that when said envelope sheet is stacked on top of another said envelope sheet, said seventh and ninth adhesive areas do not overlap the eighth and tenth adhesive areas of the other said envelope sheet, respectively. 
     
     
       4. The envelope sheet of claim 1, said adhesive being adhered in a pattern to said third and fourth adhesive areas such that when said envelope sheet is formed into an envelope having the appearance of a standard #10 envelope, said third and fourth adhesive areas overlap and adhere said closing flap and said back panel, sealing the envelope closed. 
     
     
       5. An envelope sheet operatively adapted for being automatically fed from a stack and printed by a laser printer and then formed into an envelope having the appearance of a standard #10 envelope, said envelope sheet comprising: a front panel having a first upper surface and a first lower surface;   a back panel having a second upper surface, a second lower surface, and a bottom edge, with a first adhesive area on said second lower surface adjacent said bottom edge, said front and back panel having dimensions corresponding to a standard #10 envelope;   a closing flap having a third upper surface, a third lower surface and a top edge, with a second adhesive area on said third upper surface adjacent said top edge;   a first left-side flap having a fourth upper surface and a fourth lower surface, with a third adhesive area on said fourth lower surface;   a first right-side flap having a fifth upper surface and a fifth lower surface, with a fourth adhesive area on said fourth lower surface; and   a second left-side flap having a sixth upper surface and a sixth lower surface, with a fifth adhesive area on said sixth lower surface;   a second right-side flap having a seventh upper surface and a seventh lower surface, with a sixth adhesive area on said seventh lower surface; and   a pressure sensitive self-stick adhesive which is substantially non-adherent to a laser printer fuser roll and not prone to causing blocking, said adhesive being adhered in a pattern to at least said third, fourth, fifth and sixth adhesive areas such that when a plurality of said envelope sheet are stacked, the stack has a sufficiently uniform height to allow sheets to be automatically fed therefrom, and such that when said envelope sheet is formed into an envelope, said third and fifth adhesive areas overlap and adhere said first and second left-side flaps, and said fourth and sixth adhesive areas overlap and adhere said first and second right-side flaps,   said front panel being connected to said back panel along a bottom fold line, to said closing flap along a top fold line,, to said first left-side flap along a first left-side fold line and to said first right-side flap along a first right-side fold line, said first left-side flap and said first right-side flap not having a portion extending beyond said top fold line and being adhered to said closing flap when said envelope sheet is formed into an envelope, said second left-side flap being connected to said first left-side flap along a left-side bottom fold line and to said back panel along a second left-side fold line, and with said second right-side flap being connected to said first right-side flap along a right-side bottom fold line and to said back panel along a second right-side fold line.   
     
     
       6. The envelope sheet of claim 5, further comprising: said back panel having a seventh adhesive area on said second upper surface adjacent said second left-side fold line and an eighth adhesive area on said second upper surface adjacent said second right-side fold line,   said second left-side flap having a ninth adhesive area on said sixth upper surface,   said second right-side flap having a tenth adhesive area on said seventh upper surface, and   said adhesive being adhered in a pattern to said seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth adhesive areas such that when said envelope sheet is formed into an envelope having the appearance of a standard #10 envelope, said seventh and ninth adhesive areas overlap and adhere said second left-side flap to said back panel, and said eighth and tenth adhesive areas overlap and adhere said second right-side flap to said back panel.   
     
     
       7. The envelope sheet of claim 5, said side flaps being operatively adapted to give said envelope sheet substantially the same side-to-side width across said front panel as across said back panel. 
     
     
       8. The envelope sheet of claim 5, said first left-side flap and said first right-side flap having substantially the same length. 
     
     
       9. The envelope sheet of claim 5, said adhesive being, adhered in a pattern to said first and second adhesive areas such that when said envelope sheet is formed into an envelope having the appearance of a standard #10 envelope, said first and second adhesive areas overlap and adhere said closing flap and said back panel, sealing the envelope closed.